Illini start the season just outside of the Top 25. I thought they would be in but feel like it will just be a matter of time before they break through. Will be a very interesting squad with a lot of talent on paper but may take some time before they gel and start playing well as a unit. A lot of talent in from the portal as well as Morez Johnson Jr, who was one of the top high school seniors last year. Very young team with one 5th year senior and 4 juniors with the rest being underclassmen.

Schedule shapes up similarly to most preseasons with many midwestern cupcakes. They play preseason #2 Alabama on the road November 20th and Thanksgiving game in Kansas City vs. preseason #16 Arkansas which should be interesting. Also a game in Madison Square Garden on Feb 22nd against a likely highly ranked Duke squad could be huge for any possible NCAA seeding.


Short article about some of the new faces that are ranking in the top 100 NBA prospects list.

Expectations are high for the Illinois basketball team in 2024-25. The Fighting Illini are coming off a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, and the media recently picked coach Brad Underwood's team to finish fourth in the Big Ten Conference.

It's easy to see why. The Illini used the transfer portal and international recruiting to reload their roster, including the addition of four players selected recently by ESPN as top prospects for the "2025 NBA draft big board."

Kasparas Jakucionis plays in the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championships for Lithuania in July 2023. He has committed to play for the Illinois basketball team in 2024-25, according to ESPN.

The 18-year-old 6-foot-6 Lithauanian point guard is No. 15 on the most recent ESPN list, lauded for his "level of feel, size and maturity," writes Woo, going on to wonder how his game will translate vs. the longer and more athletic players he'll face in college. "Jakucionis isn't especially explosive or long, and the speed of that adjustment will be an excellent litmus test for his NBA prospects," writes Woo.

Will Riley
The18-year-old 6-foot-8 Canadian wing is an elite shooter with good size, but Woo says he falls short defensively, but could be mitigated by adding strength. Illinois is deep, which could limit growth, but the "shooting prowess makes him a player to monitor closely long term," Woo writes.

Kylan Boswell
The 19-year-old 6-foot-2 point guard is a transfer from Arizona, ranked No. 75 in the newest ESPN list. He started 36 of 37 games this season for the Wildcats while averaging career-high numbers with 9.5 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. He was the No. 22 ranked transfer in the portal this season by 247Sports.

Ben Humrichous
The 22-year-old power forward is a transfer from Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference, ranked No. 79 in the newest ESPN list. He was sixth in the Valley in shooting (48.4%), and his 14.7 points per game were 12th in the MVC.

Other Big Ten players on the ESPN NBA Draft big board
2. Airious Bailey, SG-SF, Rutgers
3. Dylan Harper, PG-SG, Rutgers
25. Derik Queen, C, Maryland
39. Kwame Evans Jr., PF, Oregon
43. Kanaan Carlyle, PG-SG, Indiana
52. Sam Walters, SF-PF, Michigan
56. Saint Thomas, F, USC
58. Payton Sandfort, SF, Iowa
64. Kobe Johnson, SG-SF, UCLA
92. Danny Wolf, C, Michigan

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Illini appeared to get beaten pretty soundly in an exhibition game last weekend vs #24 Ole Miss. Looks like everyone got a little playing time and no real stand out performances by the Illini. Concerning statistics that we've seen from them before include, 52% free throw percentage and 22 turnovers. yuck. Hope to see some improvement during the next 3 games at home before taking the court on Nov 20th at Alabama.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I didn't see any of the game, but it sounds like they got blitzed from the start and never made a run.

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112-67 win against Eastern Illinois. Biggest news coming out before this game was the fact that Ty Rodgers decided to redshirt for the season. A lot of speculation he is going to transfer out for next season a lot like Sincere Harris did. Kind of a big loss for the team as he had a lot of experience but certainly seemed like he was being pushed out for time on the court.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Riley is probably gone to the NBA after this year. Maybe Johnson too depending on how he develops.

I'm sure a lot of these guys will eventually transfer out. There's just too much talent and not enough minutes. Underwood's toughest challenge is establishing a rotation.

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Don't take it personally.